


I'll go Anywhere (with you)

by Ineedapuppyandsomevodka



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Buck and his Jeep, Fluff, Fun Facts, M/M, buck in peru, letters to eddie, lots of them - Freeform, post cards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-02-21
Packaged: 2021-03-17 23:15:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29600238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ineedapuppyandsomevodka/pseuds/Ineedapuppyandsomevodka
Summary: Buck makes a quick stop in El Paso on his way to Peru, bumping into Eddie Diaz.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 275
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales





	I'll go Anywhere (with you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [from_nova](https://archiveofourown.org/users/from_nova/gifts).



> Happy Birthday, Nova!!!!! I hope your day is amazing! <3

Buck and his Jeep have spent many miles on the road together. They’ve gone from Pennsylvania to Georgia, Louisiana, California, Oregon, Montana, and everywhere else in between. Where Buck went, the Jeep went with. 

He was on his way down to Peru, now. He left the ranch in Montana with hopes of warmer weather and a chance to be by the beach again; he longed for the ocean. He was going to drive through Mexico, parts of Central America, crossing the Panama Canal, and down into South America. 

Before he could do that he had to make his way through some of the most uninteresting states in the United States of America. Idaho and Colorado were great, they were mountainous, they had sights to see and places to stop. Kansas and Oklahoma, though? They were painful. There were parts he was worried he was going in circles because the landscape felt like it was never going to change. Eventually, he’d come across a small town that looked the smallest bit different from the last and he’d know he was headed in the right direction. 

He crossed the border into Texas and he thought that things were going to get a little bit better... they did, but not by much. Little did he know how incredibly large the state of Texas is. He drove for hours and hours and hours. 

He stopped in Dallas and Austin to see some old friends and then headed over to El Paso because he had heard great things about the town. It also bordered Mexico, which is where he was headed next anyway. He wasn’t in any sort of a rush trying to get down to Peru, he just knew he wanted to go there. He had a friend who was tending bar at one of the resorts down there. It was an opportunity to do something new. To use a skillset he’d learned not long ago. He liked being a mixologist, and he was looking forward to everything that Peru had to offer. 

The guys, the girls, the beaches. 

So, Buck stops in El Paso for the night.

He rolls into town. He has some money left over from the ranch that he was working on in Montana (he didn’t make a whole lot there, but the landscape was beautiful and the people were nice. It was worth it, but he probably could have done without shoveling horse shit), so he gets himself a hotel. He checks in, takes a shower, then decides to see what the town has to offer. 

Buck walks around town. He’s spent so much time in his Jeep the last few days that he needs it. He feels like he can best get to know a town by walking anyway, especially a smaller town like El Paso.

He stumbles upon a barbeque place that has his stomach rumbling, so he decides to pop in to get something to eat. He sits by himself at the bar, like he does most times he stops in somewhere to eat. If he doesn’t sit at the bar, he usually takes the food to go and eats it in a park or in his Jeep. Today, though, he’s not in any rush, the ambiance is cool, and the place isn’t too crowded. 

He orders some smoked brisket with a side of coleslaw, trying to keep things light but just as delicious. He gets a beer, too, because he’s been eating surprisingly well on the road and has still managed to get out and do his workouts most days. He’s proud of his figure, his muscles, and he likes to keep himself in shape... but he also likes to treat himself when it’s warranted. 

He takes a sip of his beer and catches the eyes of someone sitting on the other side of the bar. He looks a little worse for wear, like he’s haunted, like something just isn’t sitting quite right. He’s got pretty brown eyes, a nice jaw, and muscles that are showing through the white shirt that he’s wearing. He can’t help but let his gaze linger for a moment, then looks at one of the TVs that are hanging above the bar. 

His food comes, and the guy is still there, sitting all alone and picking at his food like he just doesn’t want to eat it. Buck takes pity on him, grabs his plate, and moves over to sit next to him. “You good?”

“Me? Yeah, I’m fine,” the guy says, but he looks like he’s been rattled out of his train of thought. 

“I’m Evan,” he says, taking a swig of his beer. 

“Eddie,” the man says, watching his movements carefully, suspiciously almost. “You don’t look like you’re from around here.”

“What gave it away?” He asks with a small smile, quirking a brow at him. 

“The fact that you ordered brisket. Everyone knows that this place is known for their ribs,” the guy, Eddie, says. 

“The ribs were tempting, but there’s something about smoked brisket that’s hard to beat,” he replies as easily and as friendly as possible. 

Small talk is something that Buck is good at. He’s been to so many different places with so many different people that he knows how to work a room. Strangers are only strangers until you say something, right? And this guy, he looks like he needs a friend. He looks like he needs someone in his corner. Someone to talk to that isn’t involved in whatever is going on inside his head. 

The guy’s demeanor slowly changes, like he’s determined that Buck isn’t a threat. He looks less lost and more like he has something to live for, he’s just trying to figure out what. 

“So I take it you are a local?” Buck asks, taking a bite of his slaw. 

“Yeah, grew up around here,” Eddie replies with a nod, taking a bite off one of his ribs. “Where are you from?”

“Originally? Pennsylvania. I’ve been kind of all over the place since then,” he says with a casual shrug. 

“What brings you to El Paso, then, Evan?” 

“Just stopping through. Headed to Peru. They’re going into their summer, so it’ll be nice and warm. On the ocean too,” he tells him. 

“Why Peru?” he asks. 

“Why not?” He shrugs. “Someone once told me to just go, and I haven’t really stopped since.” 

“Doesn’t that get tiring? Being on the road all the time?” He asks, watching Buck shove another bite of brisket in his mouth. 

Buck takes the opportunity to shrug, chew and swallow before answering. “I mean, sometimes, I guess?” he states it more like a question, not having put much thought into it. “I get to go wherever I want to go, though. I don’t have any obligations or restrictions. If I like a place enough, I pick up a job there. Learn some skills, figure it out,” he says with a shrug. 

“You ever find anywhere you’ve wanted to stay?”

“Like forever?” Buck asks, looking at Eddie who nods. “I liked California. I love the ocean.” 

Eddie takes another drink of his beer, swallowing it left a rancid taste in his mouth. Buck cringes at the thought of it. 

“Got something against California?”

“No,” Eddie shakes his head, pinching his lips together. He’s lying.

“Kinda looks like you do,” Buck points out. 

“My wife just headed out that way, is all,” Eddie replies, shrugging. 

Buck looks over at him and nods. “For vacation?”

“No,” Eddie says, letting the conversation fall flat. 

“Sorry to hear that, man,” Buck says as sincerely as possible. He turns back to his food, working on the last few bites of brisket that he had left. Was there something more that he should say? Does he ask more? They’re total strangers but Buck feels kinda bad for the guy. 

Eddie finishes his beer but he doesn’t make a move to leave. He orders another and Buck looks at him curiously. “So, have you lived in El Paso your whole life?”

“Pretty much. Just got back from Afghanistan, but other than that it’s been my home.”

“Any suggestions on where to go?” He asks. 

“How long are you in town for?” 

“Haven’t decided. Got a room for the night,” he shrugs.

“I guess I could show you around.”

***

Turns out, Eddie is a lot of fun. He shows Buck around town, giving him an unedited tour of the town. He tells him about the history of some of the buildings as well as stories he has for different locations. He’s fairly easy-going and level-headed, which is something that Buck wasn’t expecting. 

It makes him want to learn more about Eddie. It makes him want to stay in El Paso. 

When he gets back to his hotel room at the end of their evening, he books a room for the next night too. Eddie has plans on bringing him to the best taco stand in Texas, apparently. 

Eddie feels like everything that Buck has been missing in his life so far and he’s only known the guy less than 24 hours. 

Eddie is easy to talk to. He knows where the best places to eat are. He doesn’t question when Buck runs his mouth and even asks questions about the weird facts that Buck tells him. He feels like he’s heard, which isn’t a quality a lot of people have offered him. Only Maddie. 

Sure, they were fast friends, but there are looks and glances from Eddie that feel like a lot more than just that. He’s married, though. Buck’s gotta respect that. He’s a lot of things, but a homewrecker is not one of them.

So, he lets himself spend one more night in El Paso, gets Eddie’s contact information to text and send him postcards, then he’s on his way to Peru. 

***

_Dear Eddie,  
Saludos desde la ciudad de México! (Okay, don’t make fun of me, I had to use google translate)  
I made it to Mexico City in one piece. I stopped in ~~Chiu~~ Chihuahua (wow, that’s a lot harder to spell than I thought!) and got a chile relleno like you told me to. It was really good. I’m spending the night here, then it’s off to Guatemala in the morning.  
I’m just now realizing that it probably would have been a good idea to figure out border crossing before I left the United States, but the worst that could happen is that I have to turn around, right?  
I guess I’ll keep you posted.  
Sincerely,  
Evan _

_Dear Eddie,  
I’m sending one of these postcards to my sister, too, so don’t feel too special. I figure it’s just as easy to write out two as it is one, right? Especially if I have to figure out postage in every country... that’s fun. I’m not even sure if these will make it to you, but it might be kinda nice to see other parts of the world, even if it’s just through postcards, right?_

_Anyway, I made it to Guatemala. It’s beautiful here. Today I tried Pepian, which is their traditional beef stew. It kinda reminds me of goulash almost? I don’t know how else to describe it. It’s really good._

_I hope these postcards find you well,  
Evan _

_Dear Eddie,  
I had to choose between Honduras and El Salvador :( I chose Honduras because I figure I can stop in El Salvador on my way back to the states. _

_Did you know that Honduras (specifically Puerto Escondido), is one of the original places for cacao cultivation? A lot of people think that chocolate was discovered in Europe, when in fact, it wasn’t! They used to drink it as a warm, frothy drink, almost like hot chocolate. It wasn’t until the 1700s and 1800s that they started making it into the chocolate that we know today. The more you know!_

_I tried fried yojoa fish today. It was... an experience? It wasn’t bad, but probably not something I would try again. I had plantain chips as a side dish, and I think I’ll stick with those next time._

_Sincerely, Evan_

_Dear Eddie,  
Costa Rica is amazing! I love it here! There are beaches everywhere! Did you know that they have over 800 miles of coastline? Where there aren’t beaches, there are mountains and forests. I wish I had more time here, but there are so many countries and so little time. _

_There is a town here called Nicoya and it is a “Blue Zone” which basically means that a lot of its residents live past 100! I’ve heard about a town in Italy like that, I just didn’t realize there is an actual name for it._

_Anyway, I hope you’re doing well. Kinda miss having a tour guide to tell me all the best places to go in town.  
~Evan_

_Dear Eddie.  
I’m not sending this one to my sister because I know that it’ll probably give her a bit of a scare. I drove straight through Panama today. I was told by a nice old lady in Costa Rica not to stop while I was there. I pulled off on the side of the road to go to the bathroom and had enough snacks to get me through. _

_Anyways, just letting someone know that I’m still alive.  
I wish I could be experiencing this drive with someone.  
Evan_

_Dear Eddie,  
I feel like my Spanish is getting a little bit better, though each of the different countries that I’ve been to has a different accent, so whenever I feel like I’m catching on, I’m thrown through a loop. I can pronounce dishes and things at restaurants without making a huge fool of myself, though, which is nice. _

_A lot of people also speak English too, which is also nice._

_The colors here in Colombia are fantastic. The colors everywhere in South America have been. I don’t know how else to describe them._

_I’m making a quick stop in Ecuador tomorrow, but I’m going to try to make it all the way to Peru if I can. I’ve traveled many miles from Montana, I’m ready to be in one place for more than one or two nights._

_I’ll let you know when I make it.  
Evan _

_Dear Eddie,  
I made it to Peru! I’m working at a resort that’s right on the beach. They have me working in the bar, which is where I thought I would be. The people here seem pretty cool. I think you would like it. _

_The food is different from anything that I have tried in the U.S. I ate alpaca for the first time the other day. Pretty weird, right? They also have Guinea pigs on the menu here, but I can’t bring myself to try it._

_Did you know that Peru is native to nearly 3,500 types of potatoes? That’s insane! I actually learned that fun fact while I was driving through Oklahoma, but the thought didn’t cross my mind until now._

_I have a return address now... that is if I stay long enough for you to get this and then write me back. I’m still trying to figure out the whole cell phone thing, but I don’t know if I can text you without it charging us on both ends. You’ll be the first to know._

_Sincerely,  
Evan_

_Dear Eddie,  
I’ve been here for two weeks. It’s nice. I really like the people who work here, and the food is really good too. _

_I got to see Machu Picchu! A couple of the staff members and I loaded up in the Jeep and headed out that way. It was quite the hike, but so, incredibly worth it. I would come back just to go with you if you wanted to._

_Another fun fact about Peru; Spanish isn't the only language spoken here. They have 3 official languages; Spanish, Quechua, and Aymara. East of the Ande mountains, however, there are about 13 indigenous languages._

_Also, did you know that they have sand dunes in Peru? One of the highest in the world! I think we are going to try to hit those up on our next day off._

_Love,  
Evan. _

_Dear Eddie,  
I went to the sand dunes. We snowboarded--or I guess sandboarded, and got to drive dune buggies all throughout. It was amazing! From what it sounds like, though, you’re probably not ready to get back to sandy areas anytime soon? I can only imagine what Afghanistan was like. _

_Other fun facts (and something I never wanted to have to see/ experience in my life) is the Andean Condor. Don’t know what that is? Look it up. They’re terrifying. They have a wingspan of 14 feet!!! WHY?! _

_I’m kind of starting to miss the US. We have a lot of tourists come through that are from all over, but it’s not the same, you know? Thankfully a lot of the staff here speak English I have to use my brain more than I care to admit to carry on a conversation._

_It’s a big, beautiful, lonely world out here, Eddie.  
Evan. _

***

He’s been in Peru for about a few months or so when he meets a group of people from LA. They tell him about the beaches there, the house that they have, and the room he could rent for cheap. 

He looks to the TV to see a group of firefighters on the news and decides that’s going to be what he tries next. 

***

_Dear Eddie,  
This is the last postcard that you’re going to get from me in Peru._

_That’s right, I’m leaving._

_It’s not that I don’t love it here. The summer has been great, and the people have been amazing. It’s been an experience that I hope to never forget._

_Greater pastures are calling me, though... I think I want to be a firefighter. I think I want to go to LA._

_I met a group of college students here that have a house for rent in Los Angeles. They say the rent is fair, and I have enough saved up that I think I can make it work. I’ve looked into it and I’ll need to take an EMT course and go through fire academy._

_It’s something new and different, but there will be beaches and new opportunities to learn and grow._

_I’ll let you know when I get there (and maybe a few stops in between).  
Evan. _

_Dear Eddie,  
I finally got to go to El Salvador! _

_Fun Fact: It’s the only country in Central America that doesn’t have a Caribbean coastline (thanks Honduras)._

_Another fun fact? Coffee grown in the Western part of the country is famous all over the world. I tried it, it’s reaaaalllllly good. I’m not sure I taste a difference between the coffee here and Costa Rica, but I also wouldn’t call myself a coffee connoisseur._

_I’m headed up to Mexico next! I’m going to try and find some tamales as good as the ones you told me your Abuela makes. They probably won’t be the same, but there’s no harm in looking, right?_

_Maybe I’ll hear from you soon.  
_Evan. 

_Eddie,  
I tried a lot of tamales as I made my way through Mexico. Each was different from the last, and so, incredibly delicious. You said that your Abuela lives near Los Angeles, right? (I’m probably creepy for remembering that, sorry). Once I get a few more meals in me that aren’t Masa and some type of meat... I’ll have to track her down and try hers. I’m determined. _

_This is my last stop in Mexico before I cross back into the US for the first time in months. I’m so ready to have constant, reliable plumbing again. Two weeks without it really tests your limits._

_Have you ever been to Disneyland? If you ever come to LA, we’ll have to go there sometime.  
Evan_

_Dear Eddie,  
Greetings from Los Angeles! _

_What a journey it’s been! Wow! I already got accepted into an EMT school (apparently I submitted my application right on time), so that’s what I’ll be up to for the next couple months._

_The room I’m renting is quite spacious, and I finally got a reliable phone plan. I’ll shoot you a text when I get everything transferred over to my new phone._

_Hope you're doing well!  
My new address is attached. Feel free to write any time.  
Evan _

**Evan** : Hey, it’s Evan.  
**Evan** : Look at me, texting like a kid in the 21st century. 

**Eddie** : Hey! Looks like you had a great time in Central and South America. Thanks for sending me postcards. Glad to hear you’re safe in the US. 

**Evan** : Thanks! What have you been up to?

***

LA is everything that he loves. He loves the beaches, the people, and the sun. He loves his job and the people that he works with. He loves what he gets to do. 

He and Eddie go back and forth every so often, though the responses are less and less as time goes on. Buck gets it, he’s just a stranger that Eddie met one day in his hometown. There probably isn’t a huge connection there, not like Buck thought at least. He still texts every so often, though, just to check-in. 

He likes Eddie’s company, even if he isn’t here with him. Maybe he just likes the idea of Eddie. 

Then he walks into the station one day and Bobby announces a new recruit. 

Buck is a little thrown when he sees Eddie Diaz sitting in _his_ locker room. 

“Eddie?”

“Evan?”


End file.
